Fountain Pens (Crowood Collectors')

Well written, great photos and filled with more details than I expected. Shipping took awhile, but given that it came from England - not bad. "A Must" for anyone with an interest in fountain pens. Kozmo18

This is an excellent book if you are interested in getting started in collecting vintage fountain pens. Covers history of all major brands and gives excellent tips on how to start collecting pens. Book is well illustrated too. Highly recommend this book if you have any interest in starting a collection of fountain pens.

As a collector of fountain pens for nearly thirty years, I own numerous books on fountains pens, the history, collecting, repair, etc. I must say, there has yet to be written the definitive tome on fountain pens. Peter Twydle's book takes a giant leap in the right direction. Well written with many handsome depictions of fountain pens and old print ads, many historical references, a reliance on vintage manuals, the author also shares the knowledge handed down from his father, Arthur Twydle, a fountain pen historian, to whom the book is dedicated. In fact, the book is a bit of a gift to his late father, a long-time pensmith (selling, restoring, collecting) and founder of (the first?) pen museum. There is a heartfelt biography in the appendix, recounting his father's life.The link between the author (himself a pensmith) and his father is quite warm and humanizing. That alone makes this book different, and more engaging, from the rest. Some of the book’s highlights come via Arthur Twydle, the father, who was opinionated and unequivocal in matters concerning pens. The best fountain pen, according to Arthur, is the Pelikan M800 Souveran (generally agree but also have very high regard for several Japanese brands, Namiki/Pilot and Nakaya, in particular); Montblanc has long shown excellence in branding but has an inferior filling system that makes their writing instruments prone to leak — they’ve known this and refuse to address it (I discovered this nearly thirty years ago); we are living in a disposable world, so pens are no longer made to last — if you're shelling out good money on a fountain pen, the first rule, says Arthur: it should work. And the company should stand behind it. Common sense . . . not so common. The book includes a glossary, many lovely line drawings and diagrams depicting the inner working of pens and filling systems. The real breath of fresh air comes with the sharing of opinions, long-held impressions of specific companies and the industry, and how it's all changed. There is a short section on how to navigate on eBay, how to buy at auction, how to value your pen collection, how to care for your pens, and suggestions on how to build your collection. One sore point for me, was that the author, in describing Montblanc, refers to the company logo as "a star." I understand that it is commonly referenced, incorrectly, as a star, but the white mark atop a Montblanc pen is meant to replicate the snow-capped mountain, Mont Blanc, for which the pen is named, just as the "4810" engraving on the nib references the height of the mountain in meters. Nevertheless, glad I have this book. Have already read it cover-to-cover. And will again.

What else can I say? This is my first book about fountain pens ever since I got hooked into collecting/accumulating them. It is very well organized and talks about some history, how it works, a LOT of brands, and some advice on collecting fountain pens. There may/may not be better books on fountain pens out there but all I can say is this was a VERY good read for me.

I'm relatively new to fountain pens and this book really brought me up to speed with all of its information! If you love to use a fountain pen, then I would highly recommend getting this book! It covers just about all of the brands and gives you a quick history of that brand. Has beautiful pictures of fountain pens from yesterday and today! You will be surprised at what this man's father had to say about Montblanc!

I found myself flipping through ads and reading past marketing information. The only thing i got from this book is; according to the author, the Pelikan m800 is the perfect pen,i wish he went into detail and compared it to other pens like Visconti, Omas, Pilot , etc. I bought this used but I don't feel i got my money's worth I might as well done the research myself.

Really good information, nicely presented with interesting old style pictures and adverts for fountain pens. Gives a good understanding of the workings of fountain pens, and much much more. Definitely worth the money, and nice to add to your collection.

Twydle's short book provides enough detail for a beginner. It is not a definitive book but gives the highlights of important pen manufacturers, explains the basic mechanics of fountain pens, some of their history and some interesting photos. One picture is even a bit racy, showing that even pens can be made exciting. I would have liked to see a bit more about the instruments surrounding antique pens, such as ink wells, blotters, etc. This book is worth the money if you are just starting out.